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June 19 2018

By: Rich Hosford

A new bakery and sandwich shop with a strong emphasis on healthy food and providing options for people with food allergies is looking to open in Burlington.

According to paperwork filed with the Planning Department, Twist Bakery & Cafe has applied for a special permit to open at 62 Second Avenue in the 3rd Ave development project. The site was originally a Paul’s Bakery.

“The Applicant is a healthy modern bakery and counter-serve eatery preparing baked goods, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads and seasonal cuisine, all of which are gluten free, peanut free and tree nut free (except for coconut),” a cover letter written by Kristine H.P. Hung of Riemer & Braunstein states.

This would be the bakery’s second location. There has been a Twist Bakery & Cafe in Millis, Massachusetts since 2011.

The restaurant was founded after the owner, Kathryn Ernst, spent a lot of time working on a variety of recipes to fit her dietary needs. As someone who grew up with a number of food allergies, including issues with gluten, she said she wanted a place where people can find a variety of options that won’t make them feel bad or have an allergic reaction.

“I was simply not happy with the bread choices available to me only in the freezer sections,” Ernst says on the cafe’s website. “I never ate from a box or frozen food, so why would I start now? So, I started making my own. Most of the recipes I tried were just plain terrible, and as a person who prides myself on being a really good cook, I was horrified by what I was producing. Game on. I became obsessed with finding a recipe that would produce bread I liked, and after a full year of playing mad scientist, I finally developed a recipe that worked. Once the bread and rolls worked, I moved on to some of our family’s favorite recipes, and the flour mix I had developed was successful in those recipes too.

Ernst said once her family’s menu was set she realized she had something that others would also enjoy.

“We continued with our busy life and I soon realized that our family could not possibly be alone in our feelings of frustration with regard to food selections and the lack of convenience,” she wrote. “I knew we had something we could share with others, took a leap of faith, and Twist was born.”

Finally, Twist Bakery & Cafe has a list of ingredients they use sparingly and those they never use in their food. You can see the list here.

The special permit application is scheduled to before the Planning Board this week.